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Call for participation – Symposium Jürgen Habermas (recipient of the 2013 Erasmus Prize)

Symposium: the Future of Democracy

A symposium for PhD researchers and Research Master students from Dutch universities with Prof. Jürgen Habermas, recipient of the 2013 Erasmus Prize, Prof. Siep Stuurman (Utrecht University) and Prof. Ingrid Robeyns (Erasmus University Rotterdam).

Organized by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, the Huizinga Research Institute and Graduate School for Cultural History, and the Duitsland Instituut (DIA).

Date: Tuesday 5 November 2013
Venue: Tinbergenzaal, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Kloveniersburgwal 29, 1011 JV Amsterdam
Moderators: Prof. Maria Grever (Erasmus University Rotterdam), prof. Ed Jonker (Utrecht University), dr. Joel Anderson (Utrecht University)

Introduction
For more than fifty years, the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has been one of the leading thinkers in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and politics. Central to his thinking are deliberative democracy and commitment of the citizens. He believes in open rational debate as a vital resource of politics and in the equality of all human beings as a foundational value underpinning democracy. While critical about the way political elites are dealing with the European crisis, driven by unrestrained financial markets, Habermas pleads for a more fully integrated, democratic European Union.

This symposium is organized on the occasion of the Erasmus Prize 2013 that will be awarded to Jürgen Habermas on Wednesday 6 November. The symposium offers a select group of Research Master and PhD students an opportunity to enter into discussion with Jürgen Habermas and the other speakers on a range of philosophical, historical, sociological and political topics. The idea is that this dialogue is fueled by on-going Research Master or PhD work of the students.

Organization
The symposium consists of three sessions, organized around three major themes:

  1. Deliberative democracy and political crisis (Jürgen Habermas)
  2. Enlightenment and the limits of equality (Siep Stuurman)
  3. Democracy and economic crisis (Ingrid Robeyns)

Participants in the three sessions consist of a maximum of 20 selected Research Master and PhD students. Those who have been selected will be asked (i) to read parts of Habermas’ work, and (ii) to take part in two preparatory meetings to discuss the questions to be addressed to Habermas and the other speakers. The symposium will be attended by a larger audience or ‘outer circle’ of participants who are interested in the work of Habermas and the topics of the symposium.

Selection of participants
Research Master and PhD students from all Dutch universities who wish to take an active part in the symposium are invited to apply, stating their motivation and providing a one-page description of their research topic to:

Huizinga Research Institute and Graduate School for Cultural History,
c/o Drs Paul Koopman,
Spuistraat 210, 1012 VT Amsterdam,
Huizinga-fgw@uva.nl, tel. 020-5258043.

Deadline for the application is 22 June 2013

All applicants will be informed about the selection by early July 2013.

PDF – Symposium Habermas – call for participation